Blackened Hearts and Bruised Revenge
by xXThat-Other-HobbitxX
Summary: The son of The Imposter is all grown up...and very, very angry at Dan for imprisioning his father. Can Dan defeat this troubled teen who's heart is nearly as black as his own?
1. Daniel

Just when Dan THOUGHT The Imposter was out of his hair forever, something else turns up: In the form of a troubled 16-year-old, armed with a crowbar and a heart filled with revenge.

All copyright goes to Dan Mandel and Chris Pearson. I only own Daniel Mandel Jr, the son of the Imposter.

A/N: If you don't quite understand this, read my first story, _Thoughts_.

It was early morning in California, Dan's least favorite part of the day: The sun always shone directly in his eyes when he got up in the morning, he was sore from his shitty mattress, and either he knocked his head with the swinging lamp above his bed or fell off his bed.

This morning was no different, from sun in his eye, back-aching, headaches and pain from collapsing to the floor, Dan was positive the day couldn't get any worse. At least he had some decent plans for the day, however. _Population Control Johnny _would be on soon, he had a few burritos left over from Taco Bell he could have for breakfast, and he found a Gamecube with a few games left out by his apartment.

Just as he had pulled on his other boot, there was a dull rapping at his door, alerting him to go and open it: He hadn't called Chris yet today, and he couldn't really think of anyone else who'd like to come to his door.

Throwing open the door, he was about to ask gruffly "Whaddaya want?" when a heavy metal object struck him on the top of his head, bringing about a worse pain than his aching backside.

"Holy shit!" He swore, clutching his head as it throbbed hard with pain and agony, but when he did, the object knocked into him again, this time in his face, knocking him to the ground with a massive nosebleed.

Through the haze of red, Dan peered up at his assailant, only to see an absurdly tall young man, albeit with a wild, tangled mess of deep black hair and glowering lavender-green eyes. His teeth were strangely sharp, and gritted in a sign of anger and hatred. He was garbed in a white t-shirt that read "Mother" in red letters, black skinny jeans, boots, a ragged gray jacket, and a pair of fingerless black gloves. In his hand was his weapon, a crowbar.

"So, you're the man who ruined my childhood."

"What?" Dan asked, clutching his numbed nose to stop the bleeding as the teen went on, sound both loony and angry.

"You know, I had a nice life, when I was a kid. I had my own room, a Gamecube with all my favorite games, a mom and a dad who loved me, a house I'd lived in since the day I was born. It was nice, really, really nice."

"But then YOU, you, Dan Mandel, hauled my father away to prison, destroying the bond my mother had with him and changing all things I had known. Now, I'm living out of my dad's car, eating fast food and working where I can. My dad's rotting in a jail cell and my mother's remarried to some weirdo, and it's all thanks to you."

One more strike, a blow to the cheek this time. Blood spewed from Dan's mouth as he stared up at his attacked once more, confused and angry.

"Remember my name," He spoke. "Daniel Nikolyevna Mandel Junior."

And with that, he walked out.

Getting on his knees, through the horrid pain he felt in his face, Dan threw his fists into the air and screamed:  
"DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNN NNNNNNIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEE EEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!"


	2. The Son

"…And then this teenager, he told you his name, and then left?" Chris inquired, putting more ointment on the rag as Dan held an icepack to his throbbing head: It had been a half-hour since Dan's encounter with "Daniel Junior", and he was still pissed off by the prospect of being beaten to a bloody pulp by a teenager.

"Yeah," Dan growled, rubbing his nose with a Kleenex, his green eyes filled with rage. "Get that thing out of my face," He added, waving away the washrag from his face, pushing the rag closer to his nose.  
"Do you even know whose kid this is?" Elise questioned, as Dan tossed away the tissue.

"No, but that doesn't mean I can't pound on him!" He shouted, more blood rushing from his nose, making him grab another tissue and wipe away the blood.

"Well, before you get all trigger-happy, maybe we should go back to your apartment and see if he left anything," Chris suggested, as Dan groaned. "Then I can pound on him?"

"Uh…"

Returning the "scene of the crime" as Dan referred to it, they found the apartment in its usual mess…

…and also found Daniel Junior near the television, tearing the GameCube out from Dan's TV, looking insane and happy.  
"THEIF!" The jerk shouted out angrily, making the teen look up with an expression of surprise. Moving swiftly, he shoved past the 2 men and took off down the stairs, only to find Elise standing before him, armed with a pair of handcuffs and a tazer.

"YOU BITCH GET OFFA ME!"  
"You keep quiet!"

Racing down the stairs, Chris and Dan noticed Elise holding Dan Junior on the ground, the GameCube nearby as the teen struggled, shouting insults and curses as the woman as he made attempts to escape.

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?" Dan shouted, getting in the boy's face, who only gritted his teeth and hissed, "Don't you recognize me?"

"No, I don't, you li'l wiseacre," He replied angrily.

"How about this:  
_How can you be Dan when I'M Dan?_"

Dan's eyes widened.  
"That Imposter..."

"Yes. He's my father."


	3. The Interrogation

"Well, he says he's that imposter's son, knows everything about him and you, Dan, but I can't be sure: I'd have to run a DNA test scan to see if he's telling the truth," Elise explained, exiting the room and into the hallway. The group had returned to Chris and Elise's house, and had Dan Jr. boarded up in the guest room, which was currently serving as an interrogation room.

"Who cares, he's says he's that jerkass's son, I say we feed him to the coyotes!" Dan shouted, making a move for the door, only for Chris to grab him around the stomach and hold him back.  
"Before we do anything like that," He spoke, struggling with the squirming Dan in his arms. "Let's see what the kid himself has to say."

Disgruntled, Dan stopped and followed Elise into the room along with Chris, and found Dan Jr. sitting on the bed, glaring coldly at Dan, who promptly gave him the "go-eat-shit" look, as the 3 took their seats before the teen.

"What did you say your name was?" Elise asked.  
"Daniel Nikolyevna Mandel Jr."  
"How old are you, Dan?"  
"I just turned 16 last March."  
"And where exactly are your parents?" Chris inquired, making the teen glare him as well.

"My mother is living in Oregon, and my father is sitting in a jail cell without bail, and it's all thanks to HIM." He growled, pointing at Dan, who stared with pure rage.

"I remember it well," Dan Jr. spoke sadly, his eyes filled with memories. "I was 10, a rambunctious and happy kid, with 2 wonderful parents, a nice house, and my very own GameCube, with all my favorite video games.  
But then, one night in August, while I was asleep, Dad had an argument with a police officer outside. Apparently, the officer got a tip-off from someone living in the Casa Paradisio that my father still had his identity, and he wanted it back. My mother woke up, and had asked Dad what was going on, and Dad was forced to tell the long-hidden truth.  
And then the cops came," He growled, his eyes now brimming with hot tears as he continued.

"They arrested my father, my mother was furious and swore to divorce him, and I was shipped off to some orphanage, where I was sent to home after home, where all I could do was be pitied until I decided running away was my best option."

He clenched his fists with rage as he continued to cry.

"Maybe we've been too harsh on this poor kid," Elise whispered, moved by Dan Jr's story. "Maybe we should try to get his dad out so he can go on with life."

"ARE YOU NUTS?!" Dan shrieked, shocked by what he was hearing. "THIS KID'S LYING! A SACK OF BULLSHIT, THAT'S WHAT THIS IS!"


	4. Scone

Chris and Elise sent Dan home pretty soon after his outburst about Dan Jr's story, and, out of Elise's sympathy, the teen stayed for dinner: Clam chowder was served as that night's dinner, and Dan Jr. was very grateful for it.

"My mother used to make me clam chowder when I was sick," He commented, wiping his mouth with his napkin. "It was her favorite soup."

"I know this'll sound really personal," Chris admitted before adding, "But…how long have you been living out of your dad's car?"

The teen swallowed his milk hard, but spoke anyways:  
"I broke it out of the impound when I was 14, and I've been all over the states with it, working minor jobs where I can. It's parked outside Burgerphile right now. Could I go get it?"

"Just be careful," Elise advised, and Dan Jr. dashed out the door, and in a short amount of time, returned in a sleek, classy Chevy Impala, midnight black and looking as glossy and new as the day he had first rode in it.

"I keep everything in it," He said, popping open the trunk. "All my clothes, toothbrush and comb, music, and my family photo album."

He took the album inside and opened it up, and the couple found it was filled to the brim with so many pictures, it looked like it would burst with one more. There were pictures of Dan Jr. with his mom, reading a well-cared-for copy of Dr. Seuss's _The Lorax_, playing baseball or the GameCube with his father, drawing little pictures in a notebook, even some pictures of him at a summer camp known as "Camp Weehawken".

"…And there's me, and Mom and Dad after we came home from our trip to Oregon," He spoke sadly, looking at a picture of the family outside their home, Dan Jr, only 9 years old, dressed in an ill-fitting baseball jersey and Pokemon cap, a big grin on his face.

Suddenly, the teen gasped and cried out, "SCONE!"

"Who?" Chris hooted as Dan Jr. bolted from his seat and back out to the car, only to come back in with a tiny turtle in his hands, whispering nonstop apologies to the creature.  
"This is Scone," He explained, sitting down again with an exasperated look on his face. "I found her at Weehawken 'couple years ago. She hatched from her egg, but a bird almost got her. I shooed it away, and I've been raising her since then. Dad thought I should have had a dog like he did when he was my age, but Mom liked the idea of having a turtle. She thought it would be a mellower pet than a dog."

"Um, Dan?" Elise asked, kneeling beside the boy. "You don't have anywhere to stay at the moment, do you?"

He shook his head in a "no" sort of manner.

"Well, how about you stay here the night? We've got the spare bedroom for you to sleep in, and I think we've got a tank for Scone to have."  
"I don't want to get in the way…"  
"You won't," The woman smiled gently, and after a few seconds, the teen nodded, and soon, he was in the room, fast asleep, his turtle in the tank nearby.

"Are you sure it's a good idea to let him stay here?" Chris asked apprehensively, sparing a nervous glance at the sleeping Dan Jr. as Elise shut the door quietly. "If Dan comes over and finds him here, he'll have a cow."  
"I'm sure he'll be fine," Elise spoke in an assuring way. "It's just one night. He'll probably want to leave by morning."

A/N: **Some extra features for my readers that I've snuck into the story!**

The Imposter's car is based off of Sam and Dean Winchester's classic Impala from the television show, _Supernatural_.

Dan Jr's pet turtle Scone is named after The Inkblood Once-Ler's pet turtle on his blog. Also, Camp Weehawken is the same as the Once-Ler fandom AU.

Dan Jr's t-shirt reads "Mother", after the Japanese video game, _Mother_, or as it is called in America, _Earthbound_. However, only _Mother 2 _was released to American consoles.


	5. Didn't Change

"Oh, God," Elise spoke, covering her mouth with shock as Christ stepped into the room, rubbing sleep from his eyes as they adjusted to the brightness of the early Californian sun. Looking at the television, his eyes widened as the reporter spoke:

"…Convicted prisoner Daniel Mandel escaped from prison earlier this morning, along with a teenage accomplice. The 2 escaped in a black Chevy Impala, license unknown…"  
"Oh, damn," Chris mumbled.

_(12 miles away…)_

"You've taken such good care of my baby," The Imposter sighed, looking down on upon his beloved car, and Dan Jr shrugged, saying, "Well, I learned from the right guy, huh?"  
"Yeah, you learned from your old man, I learned from my old man." His father chuckled, before getting serious. "Now, to business: Before we serve up some piping hot revenge to Dan, we need one key component to both yours and mine's lives."

"And that would be?"

"No, no, get the hell off my doorstep and get your ass back to California, no-Damnit, Daniel, I'm not coming back!" Amy screamed, attempting to shut the front door, but he caught the door on his arm and smirked: God, she hadn't changed. Feisty, willful, and serious potty-mouth.

"And where, pray tell, is your husband? Shouldn't he be out here and kicking my can all the way home?" He asked smartly, raising an eyebrow as she sighed.  
"I divorced. Again. He was too work-obsessed, and he could never say my name. He just called me 'babe'."

"I used to call you 'babe', and didn't have a problem with it."  
"Yeah, but you could actually say my name."  
"C'mon…  
Danny misses you. _I _miss you."

She looked at him, his big blue-lavender eyes surveying her with a look of hope, wishing, and a little bit of puppy-dog begging. She knew the look all too well, from when he asked her to shtup him in his car when they were teenagers, or when he asked her how many kids she wanted (He already had too many in mind), or when he asked her for so many other things.

She lost a lot of those begging moments, trying to strong when he kept asking and giving her the look.

This was one of those moments.


	6. Why?

**Sorry for the EXTRAORDINARILY long wait for the next chapter. Between my grandmother's hospitalization, Winter Break, finals, a new semester, and a broken-down **_**Pokemon Silver **_**game, I've been pretty busy. To compensate, here's the chap.**

**I do not own **_**Dan VS **_**or Scone. I only own Dan Jr. and Amy.**

Amy sulked pretty much the entire way back to California, her arms folded across her chest as she stared out the window, refusing to look at her ex-husband.

And this only made Daniel smiled more.

Ah, she was still the same. Still kept her red hair long and tangled, stayed as pale as could be, retained that sort of hot-temper she'd had since high school, stayed a slim, bony little thing that held quite the strength.

They finally arrived back in town, and, before they set their plan against Dan into action, they stopped at the local motel a few miles from Dan's apartment. Exhausted from the trip, Dan Jr. collapsed in his own motel room, Scone the turtle sleeping in a little container on her masters' bedside table. Quietly shutting the door, Daniel crept back to his and the redhead's own room, only to see 2 beds.

"Why two beds, baby?" He asked, entering the bathroom, where Amy was putting her hair up while she put some lotion on her face.  
"I'm not married to you anymore, so I don't particularly see it necessary to share a bed with you."

"But look at it this way, Ames: I'm single, you're single, we've got a son who misses his mom, I mean, Amy! We were high school sweethearts! Don't you remember?"

The woman sighed as she washed her face and let her hair down.  
"Yes, I do…  
…James."

Daniel flinched.

"What's the matter, James?" She asked, folding her arms once more. "Don't like your old name?"  
"It makes me sound like a villain."  
"You ARE a villain, Daniel! You are to that man you're going after. In fact, you're acting like this Dan character you want revenge on."

She was right. He was acting like Dan: He had taken on his appearance (Which had never really been hard in the first place, seeing that he was pale-skinned and black-haired), drove to various, long-distance places for assistance in his scheme, and of all things, was trying to take revenge. Feeling shaky, he sat on one of the bed, misery suddenly welling in his heart.

Amy sat beside him, and said, "I remember when we first met. My Technology class in high school. You were the new kid."  
"James Moriarty," They said simultaneously, and he winced again.  
"You sat by me because it was the only empty seat, and I admired your name."

"And then you asked me if I had any plans for Sherlock," Daniel chuckled, and she with him. Feeling a little better, he planted a kiss on her cheek. When he did, Amy grew very quiet, and then sighed as she stared at the ceiling, her eyes closed.

"Dear God, why am I still in love with you?"

The next morning, the 2 woke up in each other's arms again.

And for the first time since her first divorce from him, Amy was happy to be there again.


	7. Dan VS Dan

"FUCK! FUCK! FUCK!" Dan screeched, practically tearing his hair out as he stared at the television screen, which continued to cover the escape of The Imposter. "FUCK! SHIT! GODDAMN IT!" The man continued to rant, stomping around the living room in complete and utter rage, pausing to kick over the coffee table.

"Dan, that's enough!" Elise barked, yanking out a tazer from what seemed like nowhere before jamming it into Dan's side. He howled with pain as he collapsed onto the couch, rubbing his sore side. Ignoring the pain, Dan shouted, "HOW COULD THOSE DUMBASSES LET HIM SLIP AWAY! FUCK!"

"Dan!" Elise snapped, holding the tazer menacingly.  
"It's true!"

"Dan, it's not that big of a deal: The Imposter's son is probably happy to have his father back in his life, and might be able to coax him into not coming after you anymore."  
"I FUCKING DOUBT IT!" The man snapped, his olive-green eyes glowering with hatred. "That kid's as much trouble as he is. Probably teaching him how to be a conniving little twerp as we speak."

"That boy was kind and sweet, Dan," Elise spoke, glaring coldly at her husband's friend. "You brought out the worst in him because it was your fault his father was imprisoned in the first place."

Before Dan could retort, there was a subtle knock at the door. Getting to her feet, Elise opened the door, only to see Dan Jr. standing there, a plate covered by tinfoil in his hands. Flanking him was a redheaded woman, and none other than The Imposter.

"THE IMPOSTER! CHRIS!" Dan called, causing said person to peek out from the kitchen. "LET'S STRING HIM UP BY HIS D-"  
"SHUT UP!" Elise and Amy shouted simultaneously before letting the teen speak.

"I'm sorry I ran off without warning you guys, and, with this apology, me and my parents made you all some cookies. Dad's going to make things better, and see if we can move into the neighborhood once everything's cleared up."

"Well, thank you," Elise smiled, taking the plate from Dan Jr's hands. "I'm also changing my name back to what it used to be." The Imposter smiled, before extending his hand for Chris to shake. "Call me James from now on. James…Moriarty."

Chris raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, blah-blah, you're named after Sherlock Holmes's archenemy. Yes, I am, but not intentionally."  
Shrugging it off, Chris shook James's hand with a smile.

Dan, however, was not pleased by this. From the sight of his enemy, rage boiled periodically inside him, and when Chris had shaken James's hand, well, Dan couldn't take it anymore.

Removing his pocketknife from his jean pocket, Dan charged towards his former imposter, and stuck the blade in his chest.


	8. Changes For All

It was lucky that Elise called 911 when she did, otherwise James would have had even slimmer chances of surviving: Dan's blade came inches from puncturing his lungs, only wounding him mildly. While Amy and Chris tried to keep James alive and Elise called the ambulance, Dan Jr, with surprising strength, wrestled Dan to the ground and incapacitated his father's assailant with his fists as the ambulance arrived and carted James away.

James was in the hospital for 6 days of recovery, with Amy and Dan Jr. visiting him faithfully. Dan also went to the hospital as well, with a broken nose, 2 black eyes, and a fractured arm. Chris and Elise visited him sometimes, but Elise only came to scold the man for nearly killing James.

Soon after James's release from the hospital, a trial was held for his escape, with another for Dan's attack. James won, only getting 80 days of community service, which he served without complaint. Dan, on the hand, got 3 months in prison and 10 anger management classes on the side. Once he got out, Dan hadn't really changed, except for getting a few new tattoos, one that read "JERK" on his left arm, and a tattoo of the Cancer symbol on his lower back. For months afterward, he sulked in his apartment, refusing to leave, and only letting Chris visit, which was rare.

Amy and James remarried and, with Dan Jr. in tow, moved into the house next to Chris and Elise's. James got his telemarketer job back, but refused to use it to call and annoy Dan. Dan Jr. went back to high school, and while he set himself up as a loner outcast, he gained a few friends he hung out with on the weekends. He also created a band called "Truffled Trees", a play on his favorite childhood tale, _The Lorax_. The band became a little popular in the town, and played occasionally at picnics and fundraisers.

Things got even better: Chris and Elise had a daughter, a sweet little girl named Lillian, who resembled and acted much like her mother, but at as nearly as much as her father. When she wasn't practicing swordsmanship or acrobatics, she was playing _Earthbound _with Dan Jr. Speaking of which, Dan Jr. himself got a younger sibling, a sweet young lad named Alexis, named after the Russian Prince, Alexis Romanoff. The 2 families visited often, celebrating together and staying close. Dan ignored James and his life, and continued to act like his usual self once more.

Until that Monday morning when he found a crudely drawn image of him with horns and the Cancer symbol on his shirt stapled to his front door. Crumpling it in his fist, Dan shouted:

"ALLLLLLLLLLEEEEEEXXXXIIIIIIS !"

**WOOHOO MA FIRST FANFICTION IZ DONE! Thank you all so very much for reading this story and putting up with my laziness for that long of wait, thank you all, bless you guys, and read some of my other stories!**

**Also, before I go on, Alexis left the Dan-turned-Karkat drawing on his door as a gift :p**

**OTHER STORIES I HAVE WRITTEN OR AM CURRENTLY WRITING!**

_**Natural Order**_**, a BBC's Sherlock fanfiction, where John and Sherlock face off with a demonic creature who murders children,**

_**Too Big To Fail?, **_**a Lorax fanfiction with Greed-Ler and Once-Ler as 2 brothers on an entrepreneurs quest in the Truffula Forest,**

**And **_**Shades of War, **_**an American McGee's Alice/Hobbit crossover (Yes, I know, it sounds weird, but just keep going), in which Lizzie and Alice are 2 heirs to the London throne. When Lizzie refuses to marry the repulsive Prince Bumby, she ends up in a secret relationship with her hobbit servant, Bilbo Baggins.**

**READ THEM IF YOU ENJOYED THIS OR ENJOY THOSE SERIES, THANK YOU AGAIN FOR READING, AND GOOD NIGHT!**

**xXThat-Other-HobbitxX **


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